The Raising I

It was time again for the raising day. As the commanding officer it was his first and he did not want any problems or mix ups.He would never hear the end of it all his life if such was the case.

From the vantage point in his office he could see the youngsters scurrying around trying to make sense of the orders passed by him with regard to the raising day. As the days passed by he was getting more and more impatient with his officers.And as for himself - that sign behind his chair in the office was very clear - " The Buck Stops Here " it proclaimed. That and his pride prevented him from seeking any advice from anyone.At times he felt sorry for his officers – but then he steeled himself against such mundane emotions –“ how will they learn if I keep spoon feeding them ?” he thought. 

As was inevitable his mind went back to his days as a youngster – and in particular – that particular raising day when his newly  wedded  wife had just joined him. In line with the ongoing traditions he was paraded in the Sadar Bazaar yoked to a bullock cart in which his wife was sitting regally dressed in the finery whipped up by the ladies of the unit en route to Sadar. Inwardly he was cringing at the spectacle he was presenting – but outwardly he stuck gamely to the task at hand. The vehicle with the speakers leading the procession was belching noxious fumes into his face and to add insult to the injury the loudspeakers were blaring loud music. . The road side urchins were urging him on while the unit officers were trying to prolong the procession by tugging the cart backwards.

It was then that he decided that he would never marry again. After all these years he still stuck by this decision. His wife was the same as that day. Only now they had two strong and handsome boys to show for their years of labour... As the time passed by he remembered those days with fondness. Lot of work with no responsibility. He wondered how his  Commanding officer  at that time handled the pressure of those crazy veterans. They were always ready to offer advice. Most of it unsolicited. But very valuable all the same . He supposed that the CO had to exercise a lot of patience to listen to everyone and yet not retort in a heated manner. The general consensus was that the CO had a tough job...

Having given  the necessary orders he headed back home . His wife had left with he other ladies to “shop” for the raising day. His thoughts drifted to the past again....

The guests had started arriving two days in advance. The mess looked festive and cheerful. The waiters were running all round – hard pressed – to fulfill the demands of the guests. Some guests retired for the afternoon siesta and some others sat in the lawn luxuriating in the warmth of the afternoon sun. The unit officers were collared by the veterans and were minutely being questioned about their antecedents and precedents. Marital status of the junior officers was the question most asked that day. Additional interrogation of those unmarried was being done including their caste creed , colour and performance in the various army courses. Then the officer was tentatively asked about his plans for marriage. Those that were engaged or had plans to marry their sweethearts were soon ignored and the eligible bachelors were concentrated upon. 

As the evening drew to a close the veterans conversed with each other and slowly headed to the bar. “ These guys are indefatigable” he thought to himself and shuddered at the thought of completing the next two days. The forty eight hours seemed more difficult than an endurance march. Fortunately the CO had packed the next two days with a lot of events to keep the people busy. As the evening progressed he longed for solitude and his comfortable bed. His wife – under the present circumstances- held no appeal to him. Soon it was time to see off the last guest to his room. The CO was finally looking relaxed. The proceedings were finally underway. Of course it did not mean that he was so relieved  that he left without cautioning the officers against any SNAFUs and the dire consequences thereof...

As his wife came back from the market she was full of news of the other ladies and their children. How Mrs'--- son stood first in the class and how Col***’s son eloped – only to return home within a few days when he ran out of money.... She was faithfully relayed all the complaints and suggestions offered by the other ladies. He let her ramble on for some time before he gently prodded her into telling him as to what she spent on her outfit for the raising day . The figure she quoted took his breath away. As always he decided to take the path of least resistance by keeping mum and uncomplaining for what he thought was a frivolous expenditure. He kept his peace at home - but it looked like his officers were in for a torrid time; The urge to get away from the mundane gossip being spouted by his wife was strong upon him. He wondered how the previous Commanding officers coped with this aspect of the raising day celebrations. His mind went back to that particular raising day as he tuned out the incessant chatter of his wife....

The next day – he remembered – brought in more guests. The officers as well as the other ranks started coming in . Lots of unfamiliar faces – though none were unfriendly. He was the chief coordinator and it took all his skills and organisational capability to bring everyone to the right place at the right time . The pattern was the same all the days. Two people got together and started discussing a topic and then had to be shepherded for the next programme. Along the way he had to repeat his biography to a number of people  by rote  to the questions posed – where are you from- what does your dad do – Is your wife working – good to stay together  in the initial stages of marriage – money is not everything – how have you done on YO’s -  and the list went on endlessly. The faces started swimming in front of his eyes. Anyone with a suit and tie on were ‘sir’ some Junior commissioned officers gently corrected him – not overtly –but by repeating their name again for his benefit....

 His thoughts were suddenly wrenched into the present ; “ are my youngsters undergoing the same experience”? he wondered...